Eight established investigators require robust state-of-the-art LC-MS instrumentation dedicated to low level quantitation of phospholipids and products of phospholipid metabolism, fatty acid acyl conjugates of hydrocortisone and triamcinolone acetonide (TAA), neuropeptides, endogenous levels of hydrocortisone and cortisone in nasal and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and plasma, sphingosine-l-phosphate (SIP) and peptidoleukotrienes in samples originating from laboratory and clinical studies. Funding is requested for one Micromass Quattro Ultima LC Benchtop Triple Stage Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (acquisition cost = $340,420) for installation in the laboratory dedicated as a core analytical facility for the investigators' needs. Quantitative LC-MS techniques will provide critical data for defining the role of phospholipids and sphingolipids in initiation of cell signaling, modulation of cell activation, calcium release, signal transduction and other cellular events resulting cell activation that occur in allergic reactions, asthma, inflammation, vascular injury and pulmonary obstruction. The proposed instrumentation will also greatly facilitate better understanding of the neuronal component (s) of asthma and pulmonary disease by providing critical data related to the extent of neuropeptide release in normal, inflamed and asthmatic airways and lung tissue. Studies of the metabolism of hydrocortisone and TAA in lung tissue and the airways may define a modulatory role of hydrocortisone and anti-inflammatory effects of TAA via mechanisms not previously recognized. In addition, the instrumentation will provide a highly selective analytical technique for verification of high throughput assay methods used for measurement of peptidoleukotriene release by basophils in cell suspensions and by basophils and mast cells in the airways. The quantitative data provided by the proposed instrumentation will provide information for more rational approaches for the prevention, management and treatment of asthma, allergic and inflammatory reactions, adult respiratory distress syndrome and obstructive pulmonary disease.